Photographic camera.



m. 94,573.' v Patented Mar. 4, I902.

.1. A. P. PRIEUR & L. J. M. DUBOIS.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA.

(Application filed July 3, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-$l1eot I.

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No. 694,573. Patented Mar. 4, 1902.

J. A. P. PRIEUR & 1.. J. m. DUBOIS.

PHQTOGRAPHIG CAMERA. (Applicgtion ma .m a, 1901.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STAT S PATENT OFF CE.

JOSEPH ALEXANDRE PROSPERE PRIEUR AND LOUIS JOSEPH MARIE DUBOIS, OF PUTEAUX, FRANCE.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,573, dated March 4, 1902.

Application filed July 3, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatwe, JOSEPH ALEXANDRE PROSPERE PRIEUR and LoUIs JOSEPH MARIE DUBOIS, citizens of the Republic of France, and residents of 26 Rue de la Republique a, Puteaux, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Photographic Cameras, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a photographic camera of the magazine type the mechanism of which is controlled and operated by a spring-motor, so that on operating the apparatus either by pressure or by means of a pneumatic release or otherwise the three following operations are automatically effected: first, the working of the shutter; second, the removal of the exposed plate and substitution of a fresh onein its place; third, the resetting of the shutter.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a front view of-the camera with the front cover removed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of the apparatus with the back removed. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig.2.

The apparatus comprises a casing 6,'which is divided into two unequal chambers by a vertical partition 7 and closed by a back 8, which is hinged to the casing 6 and adapted to be maintained in a closed position by means of clips 9 9, mounted on hinges upon the side parts of the casing 6. In front of the partition 7 is mounted a spring-motor 10, the cylindrical part of which extends through a corresponding hole in the partition 7. The shaft 11 of the motor is carried in two bearings or brackets 12 13, fixed to the partition 7, one in front and the other in the rear. The front bracket 12 is attached to the partition 7 by means of two supports 18 18, upon which is adjustably mounted a horizontal bar 19, while two spiral springs 65 are mounted on the supportsin order to press-the bar 19 constantly against the outer face of the springcasing 10, Fig. 4. The ends of the bar 19 are attached to horizontal rods or bars 20, arranged in grooves 21 in the side walls of the $eria1No. 67,057- (No model.)

casing 6, the inner ends of the bars being pivoted to disks 22 and acting as crank-rods for said disks, which, moreover, are under the action of springs 23 adapted to return them to their normalposition. Each disk is provided with a notch 24, which normally is situated just above a support 25, constituted by an angle-bracket fixed in a horizontal position to the side of the casing 6 by means of screws or the like. The lower face of each of the horizontal grooves 21 terminates at the back in an inclined plane 26, which commences almost at a point in vertical alinement with the notch 24 of the disk 22 and terminating at the bottom of the casing.

The front part of the spring or motor casing 10 comprises two similar semicircular cam projections 27, of helical shape and equal diameter, and two peripheral teeth or projecjections 28 28, arranged diametrically opposite to each other, while the body proper of the casingcarries two projections 29 29 of similar arrangement.

The shutter that we give only as one example consists of four plates, two of which are stationary and provided with the orifices necessary for the inlet of light,owhile the other two, 30 31, are movable in horizontal slides or guides 32 and 33 and are under the action of springs or flexible elastic cords 34 35, which have a tendency to draw said plates to, say, the left of the casing, Fig. 1. Upon the lower slide 32 is mounted a lever 36, the outer end of which is attached to a spring 37, which tends to raise that end, while the other end of the lever is in the form of aturned-up finger 45, having, moreover, a lower projection or tooth 38, adapted to engage with the projections 29 29 on the spring-drum. The movable shutter-plate 31 carries on its lower part a projection 41, adapted to engage with the pivoted lever 36, and the first'shutter-plate 30 carries on its lower part a button 42 and a projection 43, which latter is movable in a slot in the other shutter-plate 31, retaining it and causing it to engage with a flexible bar 44:, fixed upon the lower slide 32 and terminating in the form of a lug which serves to arrest a projection 4:5, fixed upon the shutter-plate 31.

resting vertically against each other.

The shaft of the spring-casing carries a ratchet-wheel 46, with a pawl 47, mounted upon the front bracket 12 and acted upon bya flat spring 48, which tends to constantly maintain it in engagement with the ratchet-wheel 46. On the outside of the camera and mounted upon the end of the shaft of the springcasing is arranged a key 49.

The rear sides of the camera-body 6 carry a series of flat springs 50, arranged one over the other and of unequal curvature or length, as shown in Fig. 3. The hinged back 8 carries, moreover, a spring 51 and a. bracket or support 52, through which extends transversely a rod 53, actuated by spiral springs 54 and carrying at its ends two similar springs 55 55.

The upper part of the camera-front, which serves to receive the lens, as in ordinary cameras, is provided with a convenient opening for the passage of the light-rays, and a similar opening is provided in the partition 7, which carries the shutter.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: In order to introduce the sensitive plates in sheaths with projecting pins at their bottom edges into the apparatus, they are caused to slide upon the horizontal guide-supports 25, the pins of the foremost sheath engaging in the notches 24 of the disks 22, while its upper edge bears upon a projection at the top of the box, Fig. 2. When the back Sis closed, the springs 51, 55, and 55 maintain the plates The spring-motor is wound up by turning the key 49 to wind up the operative spring, and the apparatus is then ready for use. In order to operate the camera, a release-button is pressedsay by hand or by means of an airball or pneumatic release-and the movable shutterplate 30 will thereupon be rapidly drawn across to the left side, Fig. 1, by its spring 34. During this movement the finger 43, being beveled, raises the flexible plate 44, thereby releasing the projection 45 of the other movable closing-plate 31, which is also drawn across to the left. During these successive movements of the plates the opening in the partition 7 is more or less rapidly uncovered, and the light-rays pass to the front sensitive plate. During this movement toward the left the movable shutter-plate 31 raises, by means of its projection 41, the pivoted lever 36, the tooth. 38 of which is thereupon dis'engaged from the tooth 29 on the spring-casing, and the cylinder of which then turns, while one of the cam projections 28 acts upon the button 42 and restores the shutterplates 30 and 31 to their closing positions. During the rotation of the spring-casing the helical-shaped surfaces or cams 27 press the bar 19 outward, thereby moving the side bars 20 also forward, causing the disks 22 to turn to a certain extent, so that the sheath, with its plate which has just been exposed, slips out of the notches 24 in the disks, and its small side rods or extensions engage in the downwardly-inclined tracks 26 and by gravity fall to the bottom of the box. If the plate were not guided in its fall, it might fall obliquely and obstruct the space for the following plates. The pressure-springs 50, however, guide it in its fall and cause it to fall, normally, so that it remains in a horizontal position on the floor of the camera. The remaining plates are pushed by the springs 51 and 55 in such a manner that the last plate is brought exactly into the position of that which fell-21 e., exactly in the focus of the lenssince the disks 22 are immediately brought back into their original position partly under the action of their springs 23, and the notches 24 are again in their normal position to receive the next plate-sheath. When the springcasing 10 has turned sufficiently so as to effect the above-described operations, the spring 37 returns the pivoted lever into its normal position, and one of the projections 29 on the casing engages against the under projection 38 on the lever, thus arresting the movement of the spring-casing, which has made a semirotation, while the helicallyshaped surfaces 27 27 leave the bar 19, which again rests against the face of the spring-casing, thus bringing back the disks to their normal position, this action being aided, as stated, by the disk-springs 23. When the release-button is no longer pressed upon, the peripheral cam 28 leaves the button 42, while the plate-guide projection 43 retains the movable plate 31, which it has brought back, and the projection 45 engages against the projection on the flexible bar 44, and the shutter is thus automatically reset for the next exposure. The apparatus thus efiects in the desired succession and automatically the above-described three operationsviz., the operation of the shutter, the fall of the impressed plate and its replacement at the lensfocus by an unexposed plate, and, finally, the resetting of the shutter for the next exposure.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed,- we declare that what we claim is In a photographic camera, the combination of a spring-motor, 10, two helical-shaped cams, 27, 27, upon one of the'faces of the motor, a cross-piece, 19, pressed against the cams by springs, 65, and guided by supports, 18, 18, two rotatable disks, 22, having notches, 24, receiving the pins of the frame of the most advanced sensitive plate, two rods, 21, 21, articulated respectively to the cross-piece 19 and to the disks 22, springs 23, 23, acting upon the disks 22, springs 51 and 55 for pushing the sensitive plates,'projections 28 and 29 on the motor, a lever, two movable shutterplates, 30 and 31, springs acting upon the shutter-plates, a button, 42, upon one of the shutter-plates located in the path of the projections 28, a spring-lever 36, having a tooth,

38, located in the path of the projections 29, names to this specification in the presence of a projection, 41, upon plate 31 to raise the two subscribing witnesses.

lever 36 and releasethe motor, means for wind- JOSEPH ALEXANDRE PROSPERE PRIEUR. ing the motor and means for guiding the im- LOUIS JOSEPH MARIE DUBOIS.

5 pressed plate in its groove, substantially as Witnesses:

shown and described. PAUL BACAUD,

In testimony whereof We have signed our EDWARD P. MACLEAN. 

